Welcoming participants to the ACE dialogue, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Ms. Patricia Espinosa, together with the UNU Vice Rector Mr. Jakob Rhyner launched the Young Climate Fellowship programme. Ms. Espinosa highlighted the great opportunity for UNFCCC to work with the young professionals. “Young, qualified professionals from developing countries represent one of our best resources for building capacity for climate action”. “As we move with determination into the new era of implementation of the Paris Agreement, we need to equip young people with the skills to green economies and build resilience, and this initiative is an example of how organizations can prepare young people for the challenges of the future,” she said.

The UNITAR team also supported the faciliation of ACE Dialogue working groups and the discussions on integrating climate change education in the context of National Adaptation Planning (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contrbution (NDCs).

In preparation for the COP 23, UNITAR had the opportunity to show case and launch the Climate Classrooms at a mini-side event for the upcoming COP in November 2017.

About ACE

At the COP18, UNFCCC Parties adopted the Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention and requested that the SBI organize an annual in-session Dialogue on Article 6 of the Convention, now known as ACE. This is to enhance work in the areas of climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation. This decision highlighted the fact that the thematic areas of ACE are vital to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention, and for the effective implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures.

The main objective of the ACE dialogues is to provide a regular forum for Parties and other stakeholders to share their experiences, good practices and lessons learned and to exchange ideas regarding the implementation of ACE activities.

For the purposes of organizing the dialogues, the six ACE elements are clustered into two focal areas and are alternately considered on an annual basis, with international cooperation considered as a cross-cutting theme:

Education and training

Public awareness, public participation and public access to information

This year, the dialogue focused on climate change education, training and international cooperation.

About UN CC:Learn

UN CC:Learn is a partnership of more than 30 multilateral organizations supporting countries to design and implement systematic, recurrent and results-oriented climate change learning. At the global level, the partnership supports knowledge-sharing, promotes the development of common climate change learning materials, and coordinates learning interventions through a collaboration of UN agencies and other partners. At the national level, UN CC:Learn supports countries in developing and implementing national climate change learning strategies. Through its engagement at the national and global levels, UN CC:Learn contributes to the implementation of Article 6 of the UNFCCC on training, education and public awareness-raising, and the 2012-2020 Doha Work Programme. Funding for UN CC:Learn is provided by the Swiss Government and UN partners. The Secretariat for UN CC:Learn is hosted by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).